Fadnavis admits draft DP flawed

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday acknowledged that the controversial draft development plan (DP) 2034 for Mumbai is flawed and needs to be corrected. The chief minister’s statement in both houses of the legislature could be the first step towards a major overhaul of the DP, which was opposed by citizens and experts for its errors and provisions for haphazard development.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday acknowledged that the controversial draft development plan (DP) 2034 for Mumbai is flawed and needs to be corrected. The chief minister’s statement in both houses of the legislature could be the first step towards a major overhaul of the DP, which was opposed by citizens and experts for its errors and provisions for haphazard development.

It is the first time the chief minister has voiced his displeasure with the draft DP. So far, all other parties had strongly opposed the DP, demanding it to be scrapped.

Fadnavis ordered a detailed scrutiny of the DP and extended the time frame of the three-member committee, which Fadnavis said will now decide whether the plan should be scrapped or amended.

The committee is headed by chief secretary Swadheen Kshatriya. It is now expected to submit its final report in about a fortnight.

HT had on Friday reported that the state government was, on the basis of the panel’s recommendation, contemplating either scrapping the plan, or extending deadline for its thorough examination.

While the Fadnavis stopped short of scrapping the plan, he distanced himself from the controversial draft, saying the panel’s interim report had found mistakes at all levels — from preparation of the existing land use (ELU) maps to the final draft.

“The draft panel has found the DP has numerous errors. Places such as Haji Ali and Jehangir Art Gallery have been marked incorrectly; No Development Zones have been opened up without making any public amenities. The panel has also found the ELU maps used to prepare the DP had many mistakes,” Fadnavis said, addressing the legislature.

Arguing for the need to extend the time frame for the panel to submit its report, Fadnavis said there were too many errors in the plan. “The panel has said that verifying so many complaints in such a short time was not possible. I have given them around 15-20 days to study it in greater depth.”

Since September 2012, HT has been highlighting the issue of serious factual and conceptual errors in the DP revision process, beginning with errors in the ELU maps, which formed the basis of the flawed plan.